by G.R. Carter
*****
PEOPLE’S GRAND HALL – FEDERAL DC
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
“And so, my fellow citizens, I am asking you all to sync your Wristband right now, and make sure that all of your electronic devices are connected to Wi–Fi wherever you are. This download that I am about to transmit reflects the end to the interruption in service. No more brownouts, blackouts or internet service failures. This is the great victory over the Solar Storms we have hoped for. Tomorrow ushers in a New World for us all.
“Citizens of our great country, and to all of brothers and sisters around the world watching this evening, I need your help immediately. Sync your Wristband, computers, TVs, cars…anything existing as part of the Smart Grid. Do it before midnight tonight. To make this update work effectively, we don’t want any weak links. Just as monthly mandatory vaccinations protect all citizens from the spread of disease, this update must be utilized by all to be truly effective.”
Aguilar radiated a smile into the camera, and reached over to the prop button provided by the NewsWatch production people. He pushed the button, signifying the release of GRAPEVINE’s update throughout the Cyber Universe. The public had no idea updates from GRAPEVINE actually started transmitting long before the President’s speech began. But the political optics provided too great an opportunity for a savvy public relations expert to pass up. All over the world, GRAPEVINE’s updates passed from device to device, both wired and wireless. Any machine with a computer brain received GRAPEVINE’s signal, installing an entirely new set of codes and commands – and replacing the old world with the new.